Brazil’s government gives up making medical programs longer

Brasília – Minister of Education Aloizio Mercadante, announced on Wednesday (July 31) that the government will amend the guidelines of the More Doctors program regarding the two extra years in the medical undergraduation programs. The idea was to raise it from six to eight years, with the last two years dedicated to training programs in hospitals in the SUS, the Unified Public Health Care System. According to Mercadante, the proposal will be taken to Congress, where the More Doctors program is to be analyzed.

On the other hand, Mercadante argued that medical students’ training programs should be made mandatory for some specialties after six years of studies, and that it should be brought into effect as soon as 2018. In this reformed model, all training programs would be held at public hospitals, and its first year would have to take place in basic care units.

“Obviously there’s more demand for some specialties, so students will be admitted through exams. But there’ll be room for all medical students. As of 2018, we want to make training programs mandatory in some fields, as they are in some countries,” the minister said. According to Mercadante, the decision was made after a discussion with college directors, a commission of experts and representatives from the Brazilian Association for Medical Education.

Launched this month by the government as a temporary measure, the More Doctors Program displeased medical organizations. They opposed the two-year extension of the undergraduation program and the possibility of hiring foreign doctors to work for three years on the outskirts of big cities and in cities in the countryside. On July 30 and 31 doctors all across the country interrupted their activities as a protest against the More Doctors program.

Editors: Nádia Franco / Olga Bardawil
Translators: Fabrício Ferreira /Olga Bardawil